Lesson - Matt 14:13-21, John 6:1-14
Matt. 14:13-21 13 When Jesus heard of it, he departed thence by ship into a desert place apart: and when the people had heard thereof, they followed him on foot out of the cities. 14 And Jesus went forth, and saw a great multitude, and was moved with compassion toward them, and he healed their sick. 15 And when it was evening, his disciples came to him, saying, This is a desert place, and the time is now past; send the multitude away, that they may go into the villages, and buy themselves victuals. 16 But Jesus said unto them, They need not depart; give ye them to eat. 17 And they say unto him, We have here but five loaves, and two fishes. 18 He said, Bring them hither to me. 19 And he commanded the multitude to sit down on the grass, and took the five loaves, and the two fishes, and looking up to heaven, he blessed, and brake, and gave the loaves to his disciples, and the disciples to the multitude. 20 And they did all eat, and were filled: and they took up of the fragments that remained twelve baskets full. 21 And they that had eaten were about five thousand men, beside women and children.
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What does the above have to do with Social Security in the United States?
EVERYTHING.
It is a false hypothesis to say that the government "saves" money for Social Security on a yearly basis. Social Security does not work that way. Every year, the government allocates a monthly stipend to retirees who paid into the Social Security System while they were part of the work force.
The total yearly allocation of Social Security funds to all seniors is actually based on a percentage of the current gross national product (GNP). In other words, Social Security will NEVER go bankrupt, there will ALWAYS be a percentage of the GNP that can be allocated to seniors.
What could instead happen is the government cannot afford to keep allocating a certain minimum percentage of the gross national product because not enough people are working, OR, (and the present administration is big on this one), the government is busy blowing up countries halfway around the world and running up massive debt which will prevent future "tithing" of a certain amount of the GNP to Social Security.
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I just want to point out the hypocrisy of believing that Jesus made a few loaves of bread and two fish feed 5,000 people yet come Monday these same bible believing conservatives scream that one day the most powerful country on the planet will not be able to feed it's own seniors who have ALREADY paid into the Social Security fund.
It's Chickenhawk politics at work, first the henhouse is robbed by a warhawk named "Tough on Terrorists" George, then "Chicken" George emerges and says the sky is falling and that all chickens should run for their lives to the Stock Market because Social Security won't survive much longer.
I bet there are op-ed pieces from the 70's about the imminent demise of Social Security that were written by people who are NOW COLLECTING Social Security. I wish these writers could be found AND DENIED their Social Security pensions. These 70's gloom and doomers were the ones that claimed Social Security would not be around for them to collect from and wanted to mutiny the system that now pays them a monthly stipend.
Would these idiots have the courage to stand up and be counted, as wrong, for claiming they would never collect from Social Security? Could these Social Security Henny Pennies tell George Bush they were wrong THEN and that Bush is wrong NOW for claiming Social Security will not survive the near future.
